Welcome

Oct. 7: The steering committee will meet at Gateway Market; members and guests welcome.

Oct. 21: Celebrate our new Woman of the Year at Nick’s Bar and Grill!

Dec. 2: Join us for our annual holiday social and charity drive at By Design, with catering by Chef Terrie Kohl.

Jan. 20: Rowena Crosby, Tero International owner and 2009 Woman Business of the Year winner, will join us for our annual membership drive at Glen Oaks Country Club.

Chick Herbert’s September presentation on personal branding was a hit! View it here.

From the President’s Desk: September 2010

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. I think the creators of this holiday were right to pick a day, rather than a specific date, to celebrate – we can all agree a three-day weekend is a great idea!

This summer has been a whirlwind of travel and activity! How can it be over already? Being able to visit North Carolina in June and South Africa in August made the summer fly by!

I was so impressed with the international pediatric congress in Johannesburg – I already knew that women were strong and enterprising, but until I learned the basis for world education on healthcare for children rests on our shoulders, I hadn’t realized the power of women in this arena. As we reviewed the millennium development goals to improve the health of children, the same fact kept surfacing. To get something accomplished, you have to engage a respected woman as a champion. That woman will teach others and the word will spread.

Here’s a negative example: There was an epidemic of malnutrition in one of the African countries. When studied, it was traced back to a woman who started feeding her baby coffee creamer, rather than formula. The baby liked it and it was cheaper than formula – looks like milk product, right? This mother thought she was doing the right thing for her baby. The baby was happy (I’m sure it tasted good) and she told friends and they started doing the same thing and the story continues with an entire region switching to coffee creamer. Unfortunately, there’s no nutritional value in coffee creamer, which resulted in those infants being stunted both physically and mentally.

On a more positive note, the discussions I heard about finding a woman in each area to spread the word about getting their children immunized, providing the best nutrition available, and bonding with an infant were remarkable. Educating and mentoring is the most important thing we can do – it is replicated in so many positive ways!

My advice this month is to share your knowledge: Teach someone something they can pass along!